Method and apparatus for preparing client communications involving financial products and services

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are provided for automatically preparing a client communication pertaining to a financial product for a client, wherein the client communication is for combined use with a corresponding host vehicle. The method comprises providing a format for the client communication wherein the communication format includes a variable portion; inputting into a computer-accessible storage medium variable information other than a client identification; inputting into the storage medium decision information; and using the decision information to select a subset of the variable information for inclusion in a variable portion of the client communication corresponding to the variable portion of the client communication format. The apparatus comprises an inputting device for inputting into a computer-accessible storage medium variable information comprising other than a client identification and decision information; a processor operatively coupled to the storage medium for using the decision information to automatically select a subset of the variable information for each of the clients; and an output preparing component in operative communication with the processor for preparing the client communications and for automatically inserting into the client communication the subset of variable information for the corresponding and respective client.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/661,004, filed on Jun. 10,1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,434.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for automaticallypreparing financial product and/or financial service-relatedcommunications such as advertisements, marketing solicitations,financial product sales solicitations, notices and the like fordissemination to clients, potential clients, etc. More specifically, itrelates to methods and apparatus suitable for preparing suchcommunications in a fully automated or significantly automated mannerpermitting large volumes of communications to be prepared and deliveredquickly, efficiently, and cost effectively.

2. Description of the Related Art

The importance of widely-distributed written or printed clientcommunications such as advertising, solicitations, etc. is well known inthe marketing and advertising field. Their applicability to thefinancial products and services industry also is well known. The revenuegenerated from sales of various products and services advertised inthese solicitations measures in the many millions of dollars per yearfor all industries. Their revenue generation in the financial industryalso has been significant, and this industry has been one of the fastestgrowing in this area.

Traditionally, client communications of this type have beenmass-distributed using techniques such as direct mail. A substantialdrawback of the direct mail approach has been the relatively significantcost of distributing the communications. The transmitters anddistributors of the communications often have been required to bear theexpense of the communications themselves, in some cases the envelopes inwhich they are contained, the labor involved in stuffing the envelopes,the postage, etc.

Over the years, many businesses which dispatch mail to customers orpotential customers as a routine part of their business have seized uponthe tremendous profit potential of widely distributing communications byincluding them as inserts or "stuffers" within the routine mailings.Businesses such as commercial banks, credit card companies, brokeragefirms, mortgage companies, insurance companies and utilities, to name afew, commonly include stuffers which offer products and services runningthe gammit from trinkets and souvenirs to durable appliances andvacation packages. Even this method has been limited, however, in thatthe expenses still are substantial and the response levels to suchsolicitations often are quite low.

To improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of such marketing andcommunication techniques, companies in recent years have begun to screenor target their distribution of communications to reduce the number ofcommunications sent and the corresponding cost, and to enhance thepercentage which respond to such target-segmented marketing. Companieswhich have pre-existing databases of client information for their ownclients, such as those mentioned above, are ideally suited for suchtargeted marketing. As an inherent part of their business, for example,these companies typically have client information for each of theirclients. This client information typically includes not only suchfundamental "client identification" information as client name andaddress, but often additional items such as client age, occupation,marital status, income, and the like. In many instances, the clientinformation includes or is sufficient to derive certain informationabout needs and purchasing habits of the client. Even with such targeteddistributions, however, response rates in many cases have remainedrelatively low.

An important drawback of such known approaches is the limited extent towhich they personalize or individualize the communication. Thecommunications usually are in the form of generic ads or solicitationswhich merely present the product or service identically in everycommunication to every client. A relative few of the communication orsolicitation generating systems create communications which list theclient identification information at the top of the communication, e.g.,in a header. In the life insurance context, there have been systemswhich generate a letter or solicitation containing a selected set ofinsurance products. These systems have been limited mostly or entirelyto term life insurance products. They merely list the product orproducts selected, and provide a brief non-individualized description orexplanation of the product and perhaps sample prices or rates at variousages and amounts of coverage. The extent to which the communicationstake into account the particular circumstances and needs of theindividual prospective client, or provide individualized explanationsnecessary to make an informed purchasing decision about the highlightedproducts, or enough interest to make further inquiries which may lead toa sale, has been extremely limited or nonexistent.

These systems also are limited in their ability to process large volumesof client communications quickly and efficiently. This is attributablein large part to their requirement for human involvement, the requiredlevel of interaction as a necessary part of their operation, thesophisticated nature of the financial products in many cases, andbecause of the relatively unsophisticated nature of the known systems.All of these methods and systems have been limited in that they requirea substantial amount of human involvement. This necessitates substantialcost for wages, salaries, benefits, etc., and it can increase thelikelihood of errors.

3. Objects of the Invention

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a methodand apparatus for preparing client communications, which method andapparatus are relatively cost effective compared to prior approaches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus forpreparing client communications, which method and apparatus are capableof being highly automated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus forpreparing client communications, which method and apparatus are capableof preparing large volumes of client communications relatively quickly,efficiently, and cost effectively.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus forpreparing client communications, wherein the method and apparatusproduce communications which are more personalized and individualized toindividual clients and/or prospective clients than in many priorapproaches.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means ofthe instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appendedclaims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the purposes ofthe invention as embodied and broadly described in this document, amethod and an apparatus are provided for automatically preparing clientcommunications pertaining to one or more financial products for clients.The client communications preferably are adapted for combination with ahost vehicle, such as a bank statement, utility bill and the like, sothat the host vehicle and the client communication become a singledocument or document file.

The method and apparatus according to the invention provide a markeddeparture from known marketing and financial product communicationsystems, for example, in that they allow for the virtually completeautomation of the tasks traditionally performed by people, agents,salesmen and the like, and at substantially greater effort and expense.Automatically, with little or no human intervention and with essentiallyno time delays, they can analyze and evaluate client information,incorporate additional information, determine and/or compare clientneeds with various available financial products to solve needs, selectand/or recommend products most appropriate for the individual needs ofeach prospective client, and prepare personalized and individualizedcommunications specifically tailored for each individual prospect toeffectively communicate the information to the client or prospectiveclient that he or she needs to make an informed buying decision, or toenable the client to seek more information which hopefully will lead tosuch a decision.

The method according to one aspect comprises providing a format for thecommunication wherein the communication format includes a variableportion, inputting into a computer-accessible storage medium variableinformation other than a client identification, and inputting into thestorage medium decision information. The method also includes using thedecision information to select a subset of the variable information, andgenerating the client communication according to the communicationformat. The generating step includes inserting the subset of variableinformation into a variable portion of the client communicationcorresponding to the variable portion of the client communicationformat.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is providedfor automatically preparing a client communication or communicationspertaining to a financial product for a client, wherein the methodcomprises using decision information to automatically select variableinformation, the variable information comprising other than a clientidentification, and automatically inserting the variable informationinto the client communication or communications. The variableinformation may comprise client information, financial productinformation, ancillary information, and/or text information. The methodpreferably includes a step of automatically combining the clientcommunication for each of the clients with the host vehicle for thecorresponding and respective one of the clients to create a combinedcommunication for the corresponding and respective one of the clients,wherein each of the combined communications comprises a single document.

An apparatus according to the invention is provided for automaticallypreparing a client communication pertaining to a financial product for aclient, wherein the client communication is for combined use with acorresponding host vehicle. The apparatus comprises means for inputtinginto a computer-accessible storage medium variable informationcomprising other than a client identification and decision information,processing means operatively coupled to the storage medium for using thedecision information to automatically select a subset of the variableinformation for the client, and output preparing means in operativecommunication with the processing means for preparing the clientcommunication and automatically inserting the subset of the variableinformation into the client communication. The inputting means maycomprises a disk drive, a tape drive, an optical scanner, a bar codereader, a modem, and the like. The output preparing means may comprise alaser printer, a modem, another computer, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate a presently preferred method andembodiment according to the invention. These drawings, together with thegeneral description given above and the detailed description of thepreferred method and embodiment given below, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a hardware block diagram of the preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart diagram of system software used in the preferredembodiment of FIG. 1, and which illustrates the preferred embodiment andmethod of the invention;

FIG. 3 provides an illustrative main menu for the system softwaregenerally depicted in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram which illustrates a preferred method accordingto the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the data input module of thepreferred embodiment and method of the invention;

FIG. 6 (including 6A and 6B) shows the organizational structure ofvarious illustrative database tables managed by the database moduleaccording to the preferred embodiment and as used in connection with thepreferred method of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the processor module of thepreferred embodiment and method of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the processor module of thepreferred embodiment and method of the invention similar to that of FIG.7, but which is specifically adapted for processing of insuranceproducts;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a specific example of theorganization and flow of the processor module specifically pertaining toa mortgage life insurance-related communication;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart diagram illustrating another specific example ofthe organization and flow of the processor module specificallypertaining to another mortgage life insurance-related communication;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a specific example of theorganization and flow of the processor module specifically pertaining toanother mortgage life insurance-related communication;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a specific example of theorganization and flow of the processor module specifically pertaining toa basic individual life insurance-related communication;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the organization and flowof the sales presentation and output module of the preferred embodimentand method as depicted in FIG. 2.;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the organization and flowof the production and scheduling module of the preferred embodiment andmethod as depicted in FIG. 2.;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the organization and flowof the sales and financial report and analysis module of the preferredembodiment and method as depicted in FIG. 2.;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the organization and flowof the telemarketing module of the preferred embodiment and method asdepicted in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 17 is a flow chart diagram illustrating the organization and flowof the automated new business processing module of the preferredembodiment and method as depicted in FIG. 2, adapted for use in themarketing and sale of insurance products.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED METHOD AND EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred methodand the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the drawings. For simplicity and easeof illustration, the preferred apparatus and method according to theinvention are described in conjunction with one another. This is not,however, to be construed as necessary or limiting.

In accordance with the invention, an apparatus and method are providedfor automatically preparing client communications pertaining to one ormore financial products, and/or financial services, and/or financialplans for clients. The apparatus and method may be used to automaticallyprepare a single client communication or, more preferably, toautomatically prepare a plurality of client communications. The clientcommunications preferably are for combined use with corresponding andrespective host vehicles for the corresponding and respective clients,which combined communications may be and preferably are delivered to theclients.

"Client" as the term is used here should be interpreted broadly toinclude an actual client or customer of the user of the system and/ormethod according to the invention, or the party for whom the systemand/or method is employed. The term "client" also includes a potentialclient or customer, or a similar party for whom a communication isprepared. A client is assumed for illustrative purposes here to be aparty for whom a client record has been created in the client databaseas described more fully below.

"Client information" as used here means information which pertains to aparticular client, or to a particular set or group of clients. Examplesof client information would include a client name, address, telephonenumber, age, marital status, occupation, employer, financial income,etc. Client information also may include information pertaining to thefamily or other relations to the client, such as information on thespouse, children, parents, etc., or perhaps to a business associate,such as a business partner, fellow board member or officer, and thelike. This category of information also may include psychographic anddemographic data pertaining the client or clients.

"Client record" as used here means a compilation of informationpertaining to a particular client. The client information typicallywould be collected into an automated or computerized database, which isreferred to herein as a "client database." In this context, a clientrecord would be a single record for a given client within the clientdatabase. The fields of each client database record would include thevarious items of client information, examples of which are providedabove. The organization of this client information database and therecords and fields within it typically would be in conformity with thedata organization and structures of known relational databases.

A "client communication" as the term is used herein refers to acommunication which is prepared for a given client and which providesinformation to the client about one or more selected financial productsand/or financial services and/or related financial plans. A clientcommunication, for example, might include a solicitation or similarmarketing or advertising document in which the one or more financialproducts, services, etc. are presented to the client in an attempt tosell the product, service, etc. to the client, provide information onthe products and services, provide a notice pertaining to such productsor services, etc. A client communication may assume the physical form ofa paper or papers which would be integrally attached to a host vehicle,a computerized document which is adapted to be incorporated with acomputerized host vehicle, an electronic mail document, and the like.

Each client communication according to the invention includes at leastone "variable." A "variable" as the term is used herein, which also isreferred to as a "variable portion," refers to a portion of a clientcommunication which may vary from client communication to clientcommunication. The variable in a sense serves as a location marker inthe client communication, at which location the system and methodaccording to the invention insert or provide certain "variableinformation" selected by the system and method. The variableinformation, which may take a number of different forms, is selectedusing the decision information so that it is appropriate for, and to acertain extent individualized for, a particular client.

"Financial product" as the term is used herein is used in its broadsense to include any financially-related product, service or plan. Theterm would include, for example, insurance products and services,banking products and services, securities and investment products andservices, and the like. Examples of insurance products would includeindividual life insurance of all types, tax deferred annuities of alltypes, health insurance of all types, disability insurances of alltypes, annuities or other timed payment vehicles, and the like. Examplesof banking products would include savings-related products and services,demand deposit products and services, loan products and services,credit-related products, etc. Securities and investment products andservices would include equity securities, debt securities, mutual funds,money markets, derivatives, etc. The term "plan" is used in its broadsense to include a plan which may incorporate one or more financialproducts and one or more financial services aimed at achieving aparticular objective or set of objectives of the client. For convenienceand ease of explanation, the term "financial products" as usedhereinbelow may refer to financial products and/or financial servicesand/or financial plans, and combinations of these.

"Financial product information" as used herein refers to informationwhich identifies, describes, explains or otherwise pertains to thefinancial product or products (including services and plans) which areto be the subject of some or all of the client communications, asexplained more fully below.

"Host vehicle" as used here means a vehicle, such as an accountstatement, notice, letter, etc., other than a client communication,which is to be sent to a client. The term "vehicle" is used here in thesense of a medium for communication, examples of which would include apaper document, and electronic document, a machine-readable medium, andthe like. Specific examples of host vehicles would include a bankaccount statement, credit card account statement, brokerage accountstatement, billing statement from a local utility, a notice or advisorybulletin, etc. In the context of the illustrative examples providedherein, typically there would be a host vehicle for each client, whichhost vehicle would provide the statement, notice, etc. The host vehicletypically would constitute the primary purpose for contacting orcommunicating with the client. The client communication preferably wouldbe attached as an integral part of the host document.

"Host information" would include information which is included within orotherwise pertains to a host vehicle or a collection of host vehicles.Examples of host information would include such things as the type ofchecking account to which a statement pertains, the bank or otherinstitution which holds the account or which issues a financial productreflected in the host vehicle (e.g., the product provider), the amountof utility services or products reflected in a particular bill, accountinformation, a statement of account, etc.

A presently preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to theinvention is illustrated in FIG. 1. This embodiment comprises a computersystem using a networked client-server database system architecture witha number of computer nodes or computer workstations. A network server 10is shown in FIG. 1. Computer workstation nodes would be very similarlyconfigured. In addition to the server and workstation nodes, systemnodes also may include output devices, such as laser printers (notshown). Each of the individual computer workstations or nodes within thesystem includes a processor 12, a display 14, a keyboard 16, a mouse,light pen, or similar pointing device 18, a modem 20, a tape drive 22,and a bar code reader 24.

The processor of each computer node (server or workstation) includes acentral processing unit (CPU) 26, random access memory (RAM) 28, and atleast one mass storage device 30, such as a hard drive and/or a diskettedrive. The design and configuration of CPU 26 is not limiting, and mayinclude any of the CPU designs sold as standard components with high-endIBM-compatible personal computers or business machines. Such processorsinclude Pentium™ processors from Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., PowerPC processors from IBM Corp., and their substantial equivalents,preferably with at least 32 megabytes of RAM and a hard drive with atleast about 1 gigabyte of storage capacity. The capability and speed ofCPU 26 will depend upon the specific application to which the apparatusis to be put, the volume of data to be handled, etc. In the preferredembodiment of FIG. 1, the CPU of the principal server comprises a 166MHz Pentium-based processor with 32 megabytes of RAM and a 2 gigabytehard drive. The CPUs of the network workstations comprise 166 MHzPentium-based processors with at least about 32 MHz of RAM and at leastabout 500 megabytes of hard disk storage capacity.

Display 14 should be compatible with the processor, and preferablyshould have a resolution of at least about 800×600 pixels. Other thanthese requirements, many commercially-available Super VGA monitors wouldsuffice.

Keyboard 16 is a standard IBM PC-compatible keyboard which is compatiblewith the processor. Keyboard 16 comprises a means for the system user toselectively input information, decisional information or criteria,module instructions, and the like into the system where manual input iscalled for.

The mouse, light pen, track ball or similar pointing device 18 is usedto navigate the graphical user interface of the system, which isdesigned to increase the ease of use of the system, as will be describedmore fully below. It also comprises means for inputting information intothe system, particularly where graphical interface environments are usedin implementation. These devices may be obtained fromcommercially-available sources as off-the-shelf components.

Modem 20 is used for communicating with computer systems remotely fromprocessor 12. The design of modem 20 also is not limiting, and itsspecific design will depend upon the design of processor 12, the designand configuration of the computer or computers to be communicated with,and similar generally known factors in a given application. In thepreferred embodiment of FIG. 1, modem 20 comprises a 28.8 baud modemwhich is compatible with processor 12, such as the Model Sportster 28.8,commercially available from U.S. Robotics Inc.

Tape drive 22 is optional, but may be used for inputting bulk files andlists, as described in greater detail below. The specific design andconfiguration of tape drive 22 also will depend to a large extent on thedesign and configuration of other system components, and on theparticulars of the application. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1,tape drive 22 comprises a high-capacity digital tape device which may beobtained as an off-the-shelf component from commercial suppliers.

Bar code readers may be used to speed manual input of data and also torecord responses and other correspondence from prospective clients. Theyshould be industry-standard readers capable of reading the major barcode formats, such as Code-39 bar codes, and inputting the scannedinformation to processor 12. An optical scanner (not shown) also may beprovided as an optional input device.

The system includes a high-quality laser printer 32, such as any of thehigh-end commercially-available laser printers available for processorsof the type employed in this system. Large-volume commercial laserprinters also may be used for producing large quantities of clientcommunications at rapid rates. The system also may include as an outputa modem such as modem 20 or similar on-line or networked connection.

Processor 12 has resident within its accessible memory system computersoftware or system software, a flow diagram of which is shown in FIG. 2.The software has a "core" system for processing tasks such as selectingvariable information and preparing client communications. The systemsoftware also includes an "administrative and support" system forsupporting the core system, facilitating the communication or marketingprogram, providing administrative and management reports and functions,and other tasks. The core system includes a plurality of modules,including a data input module, a database module, a processor module,and a sales presentation and output module. The administrative andsupport system includes a production and scheduling module, a sales andfinancial report and analysis module, a telemarketing module, acommunications interface module, and an automated new businessprocessing module. Each of these systems and modules will be describedin greater detail below.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment and method, an example of amain menu for the system software is shown in FIG. 3. This menu includesa plurality of buttons corresponding to the modules of the system asdepicted in FIG. 2.

A flow diagram which outlines steps of the preferred method is shown inFIG. 4. Referring to the left portion of the diagram, the methodincludes a step of inputting information of various types into thesystem. Although the specific forms of information to be inputted willvary from application to application, they generally will include clientinformation. This client information may be pre-selected or pre-sorted,for example, using known market segmentation or targeting techniques, orwhat has been referred to recently as "database mining." Financialproduct information, and in some cases host information, also may serveas inputs.

The preferred method also includes a processing step (center of FIG. 4)in which decision information is used to automatically select variableinformation for inclusion or provision in the client communication orcommunications. The output of the processing step (right portion of FIG.4) is one or more client communications which include the variableinformation. The variable information is used to make the clientcommunications highly individualized or personalized. The clientcommunications are adapted to be combined with corresponding hostvehicles for the respective clients to create a corresponding pluralityof combined outputs. This combination can be very advantageous overprior known methods, e.g., based upon the ability to make the clientcommunications highly personalized and at the same time delivering theclient communication together with the host vehicle to achieve thecorresponding cost savings.

As an initial step in the preferred method, one generally woulddetermine the financial product or products which are to be presented inthe client communications. This selection may be made, for example,based upon the nature of the client population itself, the desiredfinancial product or products to be offered, etc. It should beappreciated that this step need not necessary occur first. The selectionof financial products, for example, may be one of the functions whichthe system performs, e.g., during its processing step as described morefully below.

The preferred method includes a step of providing a format for theclient communication wherein the client communication format includes avariable portion. Each of the client communications includes at leastone variable or variable portion in which variable information isinserted or otherwise provided. The variable information is selectedbased upon the decision information. These aspects and features of theinvention will be described more fully below.

The term "format" is used according to its common meaning and refers tothe general layout and appearance of the communication. The format mayassume any one of a wide variety of forms, depending upon the financialproduct or products involved, the intended client base, thecommunication medium, the desired or available space, the tastes andspecific needs of the communication designer, etc. Formatting inputswould include such things as typographical formatting information (e.g.,top, bottom and side margins), fonts, graphics, displays and displaylocations, etc. The format also may include content designations. Inmore advanced applications, a plurality of formats may be selected, andthe system and method may be adapted to select from among the formatsfor a given client and client communication. For illustrative purposesherein we will use single-format examples, rather than a set ofcommunication formats from which the system and method would select on aclient-by-client basis. Sample client communication formats are attachedhereto as Appendix 1 and Appendix 2. These samples, which are merelyillustrative and not limiting, might be attached to a bank statement (asample host vehicle), and would be used for marketing individual lifeinsurance. Note that each begins as page 3 of 4 pages. Pages 1 and 2 inthis illustrative example would be the host vehicle.

The communication format includes at least one variable or variableportion, as noted above. Preferably, the format of each communicationwill include a plurality of variables or variable portions. Each ofthese variables constitutes a portion or segment of the clientcommunication which, in the actual communications, will vary from clientto client, and from client communication to client communication. Thevariable may assume any one or combination of a wide variety ofinformational types and content components. Examples would includeclient information (generally other than a client identification),financial product information, ancillary data, variable text, etc. Agiven communication format may include a plurality of variables of agiven type, e.g., all client information, or it may comprise differenttypes of variables, e.g., client information, financial productinformation, etc.

The preferred method includes steps of inputting into acomputer-accessible storage medium variable information other than aclient identification, and inputting into the storage medium decisioninformation. The preferred apparatus similarly is provided withappropriate input means for inputting these and other various categoriesof information into a computer-accessible storage medium. The method andapparatus of the invention are adapted to process various types ofinformation in generating and outputting the client communications. Theflexibility and variability of the specific types of information whichmay be used, and the specific manner in which the information may beused, comprise significant advantages of the invention over prior knownsystems and methods.

Initial system inputs typically and preferably would include clientinformation, financial product information, decision information, textinformation, and in some applications ancillary information. Any one ofthese classes of information could comprise variable information,although decision information often is used primarily for internalsystems purposes.

The types and amounts of client information provided to the system andused in the method will depend upon the types and amounts available, thedesired client communication format, the decisional information or logicto be used, etc. Client information may comprise a variety of types ofinformation pertaining to a particular client, or to a particular classof clients. In most instances, this client information will include aclient identification. "Client identification" as used herein includesthe information about the client which uniquely identifies a givenclient and permits correspondence or communications to be forwarded tothe client. In most instances this client identification constitutes theclient's name, or the client's name and post office address. A clientaccount number also may be included. This term is intended to beconstrued narrowly, for example, to include only the minimuminformation, usually name and postal address, necessary to uniquelyidentify the client and forward the communication to the client. Itwould not include, for example, information which may happen to beunique to the client and may uniquely identify the client underanalysis, but which information is not typically used to identify theclient. Individual components of client identification other than clientname also typically would not be included within the scope of the termclient identification as used herein. A client's postal zip code usedseparately from the postal address, for example, would not qualify asthe client identification.

A wide variety of types of client information other than the clientidentification may and often is available. Typical examples mightinclude the client's age, occupation, employer, annual income, maritalstatus, whether he or she smokes, family information, geographicinformation other than client address information (e.g., zip code, city,county, state, etc.), purchasing information such as purchasingpractices and proclivities, client asset information, liabilityinformation such as mortgage or loan information, client activityinformation (e.g., hobbies, sporting activities, etc.), and otherpsychographic, demographic and general client data or information. Acommercial bank or savings and loan which loans on home mortgages, forexample, typically would have client information in the form of theaddress of the mortgaged property, the mortgage loan amount, and theloan origination date. This information would be useful for anindividual mortgage life insurance program in which insurancesolicitation communications are sent to mortgagee clients.

"Financial product information" as used herein refers to informationwhich identifies, describes, explains or otherwise pertains to thefinancial product or products (including financial services andfinancial plans) which are to be the subject of some or all of theclient communications. Financial product information includes productpricing information and product non-pricing information. Pricinginformation includes the pricing for the relevant products, and perhapsother information relevant to pricing, for example, such as the timeperiod during which particular prices will be available, payment terms,available financing terms, etc. Product non-pricing information includesany financial product information other than product pricinginformation. Examples of product non-pricing information would includeproduct-related descriptions, conditions of offer, classes of clientsfor whom the product is available (e.g., "issue constraints" as used inthe insurance industry), annuity tables, actuarial tables, etc.

The financial product information may pertain to a single product, or toa plurality of different financial products. In the field of insurance,for example, the financial product information may pertain to anon-property and non-casualty insurance product, an individual lifeinsurance product such as term, whole life, universal life and the like,a health insurance product, a disability insurance product, an annuity,and the like, and combinations of these. In the banking area, thefinancial product information may pertain to a savings product, achecking or demand account product, a loan product, a credit-relatedproduct, a retirement product, etc., and combinations of these. In thebanking and brokerage firm areas, the financial product information maypertain to such products as an investment product and/or financialsecurity (e.g., stocks and other equities, bonds and other debtinstruments, money markets, mutual funds, etc.), derivatives, etc., andcombinations. Combinations of financial products across fields, such asbanking and insurance, also are possible.

"Ancillary information" as used herein refers to virtually any type ofdata or information useful for the system (hardware and software ofFIGS. 1 and 2) and/or method in performing the intended functions, butexcludes client information, financial product information and decisioninformation. Examples of such ancillary data or information wouldinclude statistical information, geo-code data, and the like. Non-clientspecific information also may be included in this category, such asdemographic, psychographic or buying habit data. Incidentally, the term"information" is used broadly herein to include quantitative data aswell as other forms of information.

Text information comprises text, e.g., in the form of an alphanumericcharacter or character string, a word, a phrase, a sentence, aparagraph, or even a graphical symbol. The preferred form of textinformation in many applications involving the marketing of financialproducts would comprise a phrase, i.e., a collection of words, whichwould be part of a sentence or paragraph of fixed text within the clientcommunication. For example, if the client communication presents afinancial product such as a security, the description of the product mayassume one form for clients under a predetermined age, such as 40 yearsold, and the description of the same product may assume another, perhapsmore conservative or risk-adverse form for clients over thepredetermined age.

Text information as used herein can and often will overlap with theother categories of information as defined herein. Text information may,for example, comprise or pertain to client information. In the exampleprovided immediately above, the text information pertains to financialproduct information. Text information also may comprise or pertain toancillary information, decision information, etc.

The decision information to be provided to the system may and usuallywill vary from application to application. This decision informationtypically would be inputted as part of the system initialization for agiven run. The decision information generally will comprise criteria orconditions used for the selection of variable information. The decisioncriteria preferably comprise programmed database queries which are usedin conjunction with the client database, and perhaps a financial productdatabase and/or an ancillary information database to select records, toselect fields within records, and the like. The decision informationalso may comprise conditions and instructions for selection ofinformation from lookup tables and similar data structures.

According to the method of the invention, decision information is usedto automatically select variable information for insertion or inclusionin the variable or variable portions of the client communication orcommunications. This variable information preferably includesinformation other than, or in addition to, a client identification asthat term has been defined herein. The variable information may beselected for insertion into the variables or variable portions of theclient communication for one or more of the clients.

The variable information may comprise part or all of the informationprovided to the system as the client information, the financial productinformation, the ancillary information, text information, and even thedecision information. This variable information may comprise virtuallyany form of client information, but preferably, as noted, it would beother than, e.g., in addition to, a client identification, most notablythe client's name, address, account number, etc. The variable clientinformation may, for example, comprise information pertaining to theclient such as client age information, health information, client familyinformation, client geographic information other than client addressinformation, client purchasing information, client asset information,client liability information such as information about a mortgage,client financial income information, client occupation information,client activity information (e.g., sports activities, recreationalactivities, etc.), and the like. The variable client information maycomprise psychographic client data and/or demographic client data. Inthe term life insurance context specifically, this variable clientinformation preferably would be other than a client name, address, age,marital status, tobacco habits, and other than the type and amount oflife insurance coverage, which comprise related product information.

Where the variable information comprises financial product information,this variable financial product information also may assume a widevariety of forms. As noted, the variable financial product informationmay pertain to a single financial product or to a plurality of differentfinancial products. The variable financial product information maycomprise or pertain to, for example, one or more insurance-relatedproducts. Examples would include property and casualty insuranceproducts, as well as non-property and non-casualty insurance products.The latter grouping would include individual life insurance productssuch as individual term life insurance products and individual lifeinsurance products other than term, such as permanent life insuranceproducts. Permanent life insurance products would include such things awhole life, universal life, and the like. Where combinations ofinsurance products are included, they may include, for example, acombination of an individual term life insurance product and anindividual permanent life insurance product. Other types of insuranceproducts to which the variable information may pertain include healthinsurance products, disability insurance products, annuities, etc.

The variable financial product information also may comprise or pertainto bank-related products such as information on various types of demanddeposit accounts, savings accounts and product, loan products, creditproducts, etc. Where the variable financial product information pertainsto financial investments or brokerage-type products, the information maycomprise or pertain to various investment products, financialsecurities, equity instruments such as common and/or preferred stocks,stock options, warrants and the like, debt instruments, money marketfunds, mutual funds, derivatives, etc. The variable financialinformation may comprise or pertain to financial product pricinginformation or financial product non-pricing information, or both.

The variable information also may comprise or pertain to ancillaryinformation, such as statistical demographic information, geo-code data,psychographic data, economic data pertaining to more than one person,e.g., pertaining to persons other than merely to a single client, andcombinations of these.

The variable information also may comprise text or text information.Where it would be desirable to present differing text in the respectivecommunications, for example, depending upon the age, marital status,etc., of the respective clients, several different versions of text maybe used as variable information. Any given one of the text inputs wouldbe used for a particular client only if that text were appropriate forthat client. As noted, information other than a client identification,i.e., information in addition to the client identification informationif client identification is present, may constitute the variableinformation.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises means for inputtinginto a computer-accessible storage medium variable informationcomprising other than (in addition to) a client identification anddecision information. The input means used for a particular applicationwill vary depending upon the format in which the information isavailable. Examples would include a keyboard, a disk drive, a tapedrive, a hard drive, a modem, an optical scanner, a bar code reader, apointing device such as a mouse or track ball, a network link, etc.Client information, financial product information, decision information,ancillary information, etc. may be provided on a data tape, compactdisk, diskette, or similar storage medium, in which case the input meanscorrespondingly would comprise a tape drive, a compact disk reader, adisk drive, and so on. Some records may be available on non-residentdatabases, as noted. This is increasingly the case as online networkssuch as the Internet gain widespread use and acceptance. In suchinstances, the information may be received via modem 20.

The input means of the preferred embodiment may include any one or anycombination of keyboard 16, pointing device 18, modem 20, tape drive 22,bar code reader 24, an optical scanner, mass storage device 30 (e.g.,hard drive or diskette drive), and equivalent input devices. Withreference to FIG. 1, for example, information may be directly enteredusing keyboard 16. In some instances, bulk information may be available,for example, comprising lists of client records, in which case the inputdevices more suitable for transfer of bulk files would be used. Diskettedrive 30, for example, as would come as standard equipment with thetypes of processors noted above, may be used.

The input means preferably is adapted for inputting such data andinformation both individually and automatically in bulk. Automatic orbulk input would be done essentially or entirely without humanintervention. This is particularly desirable when inputting clientinformation, which ideally would be capable of being inputted as clientrecords without human intervention between input of the respectiveclient records.

The decision information may take a number of forms, as noted above. Themeans for inputting the decision information therefore may assumedifferent forms, such as those identified above and their equivalents.Preferably, the decision information will comprise one or more computerprograms which include database query commands to query or filter theclient information, financial product information, etc. according todesired conditions or criteria. The preferred input means for this taskaccordingly would comprise keyboard 16 and/or tracking and pointingdevice 18, operated in conjunction with the associated device-relatedsoftware and software drivers.

The input means is operatively coupled to a computer-accessible storagemedium so that the storage medium receives and stores the information asit is inputted. The storage medium according to the preferred embodimentmay comprise RAM 28, mass storage device 30, other memory within CPU 26,tape drive 22, and any combination of these. The storage mediumaccording to this aspect of the invention may comprise any storagedevice or medium capable of storing the inputted information and storingit for subsequent retrieval and transmission ultimately to CPU 26. Thestorage medium need not be directly connected to or directly incommunication with CPU 26, provided it is capable of transferring theinformation to CPU 26 upon the appropriate command.

The inputting of data and information in the preferred embodiment iscarried out as part of the data input module as depicted in FIG. 2. Thismodule forms part of and interacts with the inputting means to receivethe inputted client information, financial product information, andpossibly ancillary information and text, and to store the information inan appropriate storage medium, such as mass storage device 30 or RAM 28.

The data input module performs tasks related to inputting informationinto the system. An example of the organization and task flow of thedata input module is shown in FIG. 5. As noted above, data may beentered manually or automatically. For example, information may beentered using scanning technologies. Bar codes may be used onadvertisements, information cards and other documentation. Scanners suchas those commercially available for use with processor 12 may be used toread the bar coded information. Similarly, an optical scanner may beused to scan an entire page or document, and standard image processingsoftware may be used to read information from the scanned clientinformation from the scanned input. The invention is not, however,limited to these input modes, and others may be used. For example, asvoice recognition technology develops, there very well may be theability to input client information merely by voicing that informationinto a voice recognition device, which would translate the voiceinformation into digital client data.

The task of automatically or semi-automatically sending large numbers ofcommunications efficiently and cost effectively generally will requirethat the system receive or gather on its own large volumes of clientinformation. For a given client, the system is adapted to retrieveclient information and, depending upon the circumstances, otherinformation as well. Inherent advantages of using an automatedenvironment to undertake these tasks is the tremendous speed with whichcomputers can retrieve, process and store large volumes of information.

The data input module of this embodiment and method inputs data into thesystem from one or more of the input devices for the system, such asmodem 20, tape drive 22, or bar code reader 24. The details of the datainput module will depend to a certain extent upon the type of data to beinput.

With further reference to FIG. 5, as data is inputted, the data inputmodule stores it in a temporary storage area within processor 12. Ifnecessary or appropriate, the data is converted to a format compatiblewith the system. For example, as is known in the database arts, it issometimes necessary to import or export files to convert one databaseformat to pre-defined database structure. In this embodiment, the datainput module also may tag and identify client records as they areinputted, and perform general and routine "house keeping" tasks on thedata.

Once these tasks have been performed by the data input module, theproperly-formatted client information is transferred to the databasemodule. In the preferred embodiment, the database module comprises arelational database essentially equivalent to commercially-availabledatabase packages.

The database module of the preferred embodiment stores clientinformation for general use by the system, as explained more fullybelow. The database stores client information so that each client isrepresented by a record in the database, and the various items ofinformation to a given client are contained within fields under therecord for that client. Examples of the structure and contents of aclient database for life insurance, for example, may include thefollowing fields:

Name

Address (including zip code)

Age

Tobacco user v. non-tobacco user

Marital Status

General Health

The contents of a representative client database record for marketing ofindividual mortgage life insurance may include the following:

    ______________________________________                                        Borrower          Co-Borrower                                                 ______________________________________                                        Name              Name                                                        Address           Address                                                     (including zip code)                                                                            (including zip code)                                        Age               Age                                                         Tobacco user v. non-tobacco user                                                                Tobacco user v. non-tobacco user                            Marital Status    Marital Status                                              General Health    General Health                                              ______________________________________                                    

The contents of a representative client database record for a commercialbank may include the following:

Name

Address (including zip code)

Account Type

Account Number

Account Balance

Spouse

Occupation

Employer

Income

The database module also may include information other than clientinformation. For example, this module typically may include a listing ordatabase of financial products and/or financial product information. Thefinancial product information typically would include not only theidentification of the products, but information about pricing,conditions on availability (e.g., "issue constraints"), etc. Productavailability conditions or constraints as used here refers generally tolimitations on the availability of the product, e.g., geographicavailability constraints, age range constraints, face value or amountconstraints, and so forth. The product-related database also may includedescriptions and explanations of the products, e.g., in the form of textinformation. This will be explained in greater detail in connection withthe sales presentation and output module.

A sample set of tables for use in preparing and delivering clientcommunications pertaining to life insurance products is presented inFIG. 6 (including FIG. parts 6A and 6B). These tables may beinter-related depending upon the specific design of the database ordatabases for a given application.

According to the method, the decision information is used or processedto automatically select variable information. In the preferred method,the decision information is used to select a subset of the variableinformation for inclusion in the variable portion or portions of theclient communication corresponding to the variable portion or portionsof the client communication format. The apparatus according to theinvention similarly includes processing means operatively coupled to thestorage medium for using the decision information to automaticallyselect a subset of the variable information for the client, or for eachclient where processing involves a plurality of client records. Thesubset of variable information for a given client then may be used inthe subsequently-prepared communication for that client to individualizeor personalize the communication. As implemented in the preferredembodiment, the processing means comprises processor 12, including CPU26 and related components, operating under the control of processormodule computer software, as shown generally in FIG. 2.

The specific identity and nature of the variable information selected bythe processing module may be varied from application to applicationdepending upon a number of factors, the most important of which is thedecision information as selected by the system user. The processormodule provides tremendous flexibility. It may be adapted, for example,to handle a wide variety of classes of financial products, such as termlife insurance, permanent life insurance, combinations of term andpermanent life insurance, health insurances, disability insurances, longterm care insurances, and the like. The processor module can accommodateany type of client information that can be incorporated into the clientdatabase. In addition, the processor module has great flexibility in thespecific analytical and decision making methods and procedures used.Specific yet merely illustrative examples are provided below.

A flow chart depicting the general organization and logic flow of theprocessor module for the preferred embodiment and method is presented inFIG. 7. As indicated at block A, the processor module is scheduled byand operates under the general instruction of the production andscheduling module (described more fully below). The production andscheduling module would determine, for example, which of severalcompeting jobs or client databases would be processed and in whichorder. The processor module flow then moves to step B, in which itretrieves decision information and other instructions delineating thetasks the system is to perform and upon which information.

The processor module flow at block C retrieves the information, in thiscase a client record (client information), which is to be used with thedecision information in selecting the variable information. By operatingupon the decision information, such as database query commands basedupon the client database fields, the system processes the clientinformation and uses it to select the variable information. The type ofinformation retrieved by the processor module will depend upon the typeof analysis under consideration, and for which the system has beenadapted. Illustrative examples of such input data are described abovewith reference to the data input module and the database module. Theprocessor module is described herein as processing data filessequentially, one record at a time. This is not necessarily limiting.For example, the processor module may be configured so that it processesmore than one record at a time through such generally known approachesas multi-tasking or parallel processing, and/or by means of networkedmachines operating in parallel or otherwise concurrently.

In step C, depending on the particular application, the processor modulemay undertake some pre-sorting or other manipulation of the clientinformation prior to the principal analysis of it. For example, theremay be categories or items of information within a given a client recordthat are not utilized in the analysis and decision making procedures tobe undertaken by the processor module in that application. Therefore, itmay be appropriate to modify the retrieved client records to eliminatesuch categories or items before further processing in undertaken in theprocessor module.

In step D of the processor module, the processor module uses thedecision information to analyze and evaluate the client information forthat record to select the subset of variable information for thatclient. The selected variable information is outputted as step E. Thismay occur as each client record is processed or, preferably, for aplurality of records. The process returns to block C to retrieve thenext client record, and processing is repeated at block D. This loopingprocess is continued until all client records to be processed in facthave been processed in this manner.

A slightly more complicated application or process flow for theprocessor module of the preferred embodiment and method is illustratedin FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7, but is specifically adapted forpreparing client communications in connection with the marketing of lifeinsurance. Blocks A through C of FIG. 8 are essentially identical tothose of FIG. 7. Bock D of FIG. 8 shows considerably more detail as tothe process which occurs in this example. In substep D1, the insuranceneed of the client is identified. This may be done, for example, basedupon information in the client record such as age, marital status,financial information pertaining to the client, etc. Substep D2 involvesanalyzing and evaluating the client information, such as demographicdata, to make the selections described in the subsequent steps. Insubstep D3, the processing flow decides on the number and types ofinsurance plans to offer to this particular client. In substep D4, theprocessing flow selects the financial product or products to fit intoeach plan offered. This would be accomplished as part of the decisioninformation and its programming. Two sample options are illustrated inthe drawing figure. Option A involves presenting only certain productsand/or the products of certain product carriers. Option B providesgreater leeway in selecting products and plans. In substep D5, theprocessing flow uses client information, such as for example theclient's age, financial income, and the client's zip code, to determinean amount of coverage to be offered in each plan presented to thatclient. The process returns to block C to retrieve the next clientrecord, and processing is repeated at block D. This looping process iscontinued until all client records to be processed have been processedin this manner.

Variable information may be selected using client information, i.e., thedecision information may include using client information to select thevariable information for inclusion in the client communication. This isgenerally true regardless of the nature or content of the informationactually selected as the variable information.

In step D3 of the processor module flow depicted in FIG. 8, the moduledecides on the number and types of plans to be proposed to the client,which represents financial product variable information. This decisionis based upon the insurance needs of the clients as identified in thedecision information, on the client information in the client record,and possibly on other information such as demographic information,geo-coding information, etc. This step involves making an informedintelligent decision regarding the possible solution or solutions to theproduct or protection needs of the customer. Factors which may beconsidered by the module in this selection process may include theclient demographic information (e.g. age, gender, tobacco usage, andoccupation) mortgage information, financial information such as income,marital information, existing policy information, family-relatedinformation, and other factors selected by the system user andincorporated into the processor module decision making criteria.

The processor module in conjunction with the decision informationselects the variable information, in this example the financialproducts, which satisfy the decision making criteria being employed inthe module. Under this substep, the processor module draws from theavailable product pool the most appropriate product to fit each planselected as a candidate in this substep. Preferably the processor modulehas the ability to select from a large number of products and productproviders. In performing this step D3, the processor module may takeinto consideration factors such as: the premium for the product, thecompensation paid to the system user or other provider including primaryand secondary compensation, legal issues, underwriting requirements,demographic information pertaining to the client, and the net cost ofpremiums over a specified period of time. As to legal issues, all local,state, and federal laws regarding insurance sales, for example, andadditional constraints imposed by product providers may be considered.

There are numerous examples in which client information may be used toselect client information. To illustrate this approach, the decisioninformation may include the criteria of selecting a first text stringdescribing a financial product ("text string A") if the client has anannual financial income of greater than a certain amount, e g., $50,000, and selecting a second text string ("text string B"), if theclient's income is less than $ 50,000. This example uses clientinformation (annual income) to select variable information (alternativefinancial product descriptions) based upon decision information (incomegreater than or less than $ 50,000). The client's age easily could beused instead of annual income, as could virtually any other item ofclient information.

To further illustrate the types of decision making procedures andcriteria which may be embodied in the processor module, we will use theexample of individual mortgage life insurance. Pursuant to the example,assume that each client record includes the address of the propertysubject to the mortgage, the amount of the mortgage, the monthlymortgage payments and the following information for each borrower andco-borrower: Name, age, and gender. As part of the analytical anddecision making criteria information retrieved by the processor module,a set of scenarios are provided for characterizing the client and thesurrounding circumstances. Illustrative examples of the scenarios wouldinclude the following:

Scenario 1: Single individual borrower.

Scenario 2: Two borrowers of different gender, which may include ahusband and wife, business partners, etc.

Scenario 3: Two borrowers of the same gender, which may include a parentand child, siblings, business partners, gay partners, etc.

As part of the retrieved decision making criteria, the processor modulewould retrieve the information depicted graphically in FIGS. 9 through11. If the client record under consideration reflected a singleborrower, the processor module would employ the decision making criteria(decision information) reflected in FIG. 9. According to those criteria,the processor module would determine into which of three mutuallyexclusive categories the mortgage falls based on the loan amount. Inthis example, loan amounts of at least $ 10,000 but less than $ 50,000would fall into category A. Loan amounts of at least fifty thousanddollars but less than one hundred thousand dollars would fall intocategory B, whereas loan amounts of at least one hundred thousanddollars would fall into category C. At a second level of decisionmaking, the age of the borrower would be considered. For borrowers incategory A between the ages of twenty (20) and sixty-five (65), theprocessor module would select product package number 1 (P1), whichincludes three alternative plans, i.e., plan A, plan B, or plan C, asdescribed in the box for package P1 in FIG. 9. Note that for any age ormortgage loan amounts outside the ranges indicated in FIG. 9, noproposal would be made because of issue constraints.

To the extent the client record falls into category B based on loanamount, the agent borrower similarly would be used to further categorizethe record. In this illustrative example, category is segregated intotwo age categories, i.e., B1 and B2. Category B1 includes borrower of atleast twenty (20) but less and fifty (50). Category B2 includes agesgreater than fifty (50) but less than sixty-nine (69). Those recordsqualifying under category B1 would result in the proposal of a packageP2. This package P2 would include three optional proposals, as describedin the box for package P2 in FIG. 9.

For category B2, a package P3 would be proposed. Package P3 similarlyincludes three optional plans, as described in the box for package P3 inFIG. 9.

For those records falling within category C, i.e., involving loanamounts of at least $ 100,000, package P3 would be proposed.

The processor module would analyze each client record to recognizescenario # 2, i.e., two borrowers of different gender. The decisionmaking criteria and processing undertaken for records qualifying underscenario # 2 is depicted in FIG. 10. Processing under this scenariowould be very similar to that described above with regard to FIG. 9. Atthe initial level, each record would be categorized based on loanamount. Segregation at a second level would occur based on age of thefirst or principal borrowers

Similarly to FIG. 9, those clients qualifying under scenario # 2 andfalling within category A1 would be proposed a package P1 which includesthree optional plans, i.e., A, B and C. A package P2 would be proposedto those clients qualifying under category B1 in FIG. 10. For thoseclients qualifying under category B2, a package P3 would be proposed.For those clients qualifying under category B3 of FIG. 10, a package P4would be proposed. For clients qualifying under category C1, package P5would be proposed. For those clients qualifying under category C2, apackage P6 would be proposed.

Where the client record indicates there are two borrowers of the samegender, scenario # 3 would be implicated. The decision making criteriaand processing for this illustrative example is shown in FIG. 11, whichfollows the same logic and processing of FIGS. 9 and 10.

In these illustrative insurance examples, two methodologies may beemployed for selecting the variable product information, i.e., a productand/or product provider-specific methodology and a "best policy"analysis methodology. Both of these methodologies taken to account theinformation from substep D3. The first methodology considers each of thevarious factors which may be used to evaluate the attractiveness of thatproduct for the particular client. Such factors considered by theprocessor module may include the premiums, issue constraints,compensation paid to the system user, product provider, etc., andunderwriting requirement.

The "best policy" methodology evaluates and analyzes a potentially largenumber of product providers and products which best meet a specified setof criteria, for example, by picking the product having the lowestpremium for the client.

In step I of processor module processing according to this embodimentand method (FIG. 8), the module analyzes the past or current performanceon a real-time basis of various sale programs. It identifies on areal-time basis who is buying on any geographic or any demographicbasis. This step involves determining what the individual client is mostlikely to buy, making the end users aware of that fact, recommendingchanges, and if given permission, or appropriately coded, automaticallyimplementing the changes, which may occur even during the running of themodule.

To better illustrate the organization, operation and flow of theprocessor module, another example, i.e., one involving the logicassociated with the marketing of life insurance, will now be explainedwith reference to FIG. 12. Steps C, D, E, . . . of FIG. 12 correspond tothe similar steps of FIG. 8. In step C, the processor module retrieves aclient record for analysis. In step D, the module identifies theinsurance need for the client, e.g., to replace lost income.

In step E, the module analyzes and evaluates client information for thisclient, including all pertinent client demographics available to thesystem. The system also may retrieve and use additional demographicdata, for example from a geo-coding module.

The database module of this preferred embodiment includes a geo-codingmodule which includes geo-coding data. This geo-coding data can beorganized by zip code and includes statistical information regardinglocation, average income, average education, average property values andthe like within that zip code area. It can obtain in real-time any fieldof demographic information for use contained within the United Statescensus.

In this illustrative example shown in FIG. 12, step F involvessegregating client records by annual income. For client recordsreflecting an annual income of less than one hundred thousand dollars,processing continues along a path F1. For client records reflecting anannual income of at least one hundred thousand dollars, processingproceeds along a path F2.

In step G of FIG. 12, clients falling under category F1 are offered twooptional term insurance plans, depending on the age of the client. Forthose clients having an income of less than one hundred thousand (pathF1), two term insurance plans would be proposed, but specifically whichtwo would depend upon the age of the client. For clients at least twenty(20) years old but younger than fifty (50) years, their choices wouldinclude a 15 year term policy and a 20 year term policy. For clientsaged at least fifty (50) but less than sixty, the choices would includea 10 year term policy and a 15 year term policy. For clients older thansixty (60) but not over sixty-nine (69), the two choices would include a5 year term policy and a 10 year term policy. In each of theseinstances, three separate coverage amounts for each of the two policiesproposed would be presented. In this illustrative example, the systemuser may select between an Option A and an Option B. Under Option A,only specified products and/or specific product providers may beconsidered. Under Option B, a variety of products and product providersmay be considered in selecting the appropriate plans and products forselection.

In step H of the processor module flow of FIG. 8, the module selects aspecific amount or amounts of coverage to propose under each plan. Thisdecision is based on the information as compiled in step D as describedabove.

These three coverage amounts are determined by multiplying the annualincome by a multiplier and rounding (e.g., to the nearest $ 5,000 or $10,000). The multiplier for path F1 would be 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 for planA, B and C, respectively.

For those clients who have annual incomes in excess of at least onehundred thousand dollars (path F2), the processor module optionallyproposes two term insurance plans and one cash value insurance plan. Thespecific plan again depend on the age of the client among other things.For clients at least twenty (20) but less than fifty (50) years old, thechoices include a twenty year term policy, a 15 year term policy, and auniversal life policy. For clients at least fifty (50) but no more thansixty (60), the choices include a 10 year term policy, a fifteen yearterm policy, and a universal life policy. For clients older than sixty(60) but less than sixty-nine (69), the choices proposed are a 5 yearterm policy, a 10 year term policy, and a universal life policy. In thisexample the processor module also selects an amount of coverage based onincome. Specifically, five alternative levels of coverage are proposedcorresponding to annual income multipliers of 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0,respectively.

Financial product information also may be used to select the variableinformation. To illustrate, a particular financial product may beoffered at one price in some states and at another price in others. Aspart of the decision information, the system and method may use thispricing information to select text and/or pricing information asvariable information for inclusion in the respective clientcommunications.

In some instances it may be useful or otherwise desirable to useseparate software packages or "link programs" to provide financialinformation. A link program, for example, may be used to calculateinsurance premiums based on a selected set of client information. Thepremiums then would be imported back into the system software of FIG. 2and used as financial product information, such as product pricing data.

The subset or subsets of the variable information selected for a givenclient is adapted to be inserted into or provided as an integral part ofthe corresponding variable portion or portions of the clientcommunication for that client. Depending upon the manner in which thetasks are segregated, the output of the system software therefore maycomprise the completed client communications ready as they are deliveredto the clients. Short of this, however, the system output may comprisean intermediate product such as the subset or subsets of the variableinformation themselves, ready for inclusion or integration into theclient communication or communications, but not yet so integrated ormerged.

In the latter instance, i.e., where the system output comprisesunintegrated subsets of the variable information themselves, ready forinclusion or integration into the client communications, these variableinformation subsets preferably would be stored and provided as part ofthe client information database, e.g., as was provided as part of theinitial system and method input, or as a separate database. Each recordof the database would include the subset of variable information forthat client, as well as an identifier to identify the client, such asclient name, account number, etc. This client output database could bestored, for example, to RAM 28, mass storage 30, or other suitablestorage medium.

As an optional but preferred step in the method, the variableinformation is automatically inserted into the client communications.This step preferably involves generating the client communicationaccording to the communication format, wherein the generating stepincludes inserting the subset of variable information into the variableportion of the client communication corresponding to the variableportion of the client communication format. The variable informationpreferably is inserted or merged into the format or other text of theclient communication without unwanted gaps or spaces, so that the entiredocument appears to be created from a single source, or the entiredocument appears to be an integrated whole. The merged subset or subsetsof the variable information may be formatted with the same font or acompatible font to achieve this end.

A primary objective is to deliver the finalized client communications tothe clients. Accordingly, the preferred method includes a step ofgenerating the client communications according to the communicationformat. The generating step includes inserting the variable informationor a subset of the variable information for a given client into thevariable portion of the client communication for that client. Thepreferred embodiment of the invention similarly includes outputpreparing means in operative communication with the processing means forpreparing the client communication and automatically inserting thevariable information or variable information subset into the clientcommunication. In the preferred embodiment, the output preparing meanscomprises a computer, such as processor 12 and its CPU 26, inconjunction with and operating under the sales presentation and outputmodule ("output module). The output preparing means of this embodimentalso includes laser printer 32, modem 20, and similar means for creatingthe final form of the client communications, whether they be in the formof printed paper, electronic mail, or other form. Where the clientcommunication is to be transmitted on a network or other electronicmedium, for example, the output preparing means may comprise anothercomputer.

The output module uses the information obtained from the processormodule and optionally from other sources to generate, design,individualize and particularize all of the client communications.Marketing solicitations, ads, product- or service-related notices,presentation letters, followup letters, and reminders all would beexamples of such client communications. The output module automaticallyprepares and outputs a client communication, for example, in a form of amarketing solicitation, which provides information sufficient to enablethe client to make informed, intelligent decision regarding the purchaseof the plans or products selected by the processor module, or sufficientto gain the interest of a prospective buyer and motivate him or her toseek additional information. The processor module creates these clientcommunications in a manner using a format which personalizes andindividualizes the information presented to the client.

The output module of the preferred embodiment and method does not merelyinsert client information in the header of the client communication, nordoes it merely import product information from the generic productinformation directly from the product-related database into thecommunication. The output module instead selectively can use substantialportions of client information, product information, and in manyinstances other information as well to generate a particularizedcommunication tailored to the particular client for whom thecommunication is to be sent. The communications therefore typically willvary from individual client to individual client.

Client communications generation according to the preferred embodimentand method involves organizing, formatting and outputting clientcommunications using information received generally from the processormodule. As explained, the processor module uses client information,information about available financial products, and perhaps otheravailable information to recommend products, plans, and the likespecifically tailored to each client. The output module allows thesystem user to define a particularized communication format for classesof customers, such as for potential individual mortgage insuranceclients. It then generates highly individualized communicationsspecifically tailored to present that client with individualized planand product presentations, reminders, followup, etc.

The output module is adapted to present its output in a variety offorms. For example, the output can be displayed on display 14 for visualinspection by the system user, or client, etc. The output also may be inthe form of a printed communication or document using a printer such asa laser printer. It may be in the form of an automated document or datafile or both, and it also may be in a form suitable for transmission,for example, over modem 20 or to a network, with or without simultaneousvideo conferencing.

The particular format of client communication outputs will depend uponthe specific circumstances, such as client demographics, plans andproducts offered, and marketing objectives of the particularapplication. Examples of client communications prepared using thepreferred system and method and employing individual mortgage lifeinsurance programs and using a procedure similar to that described abovewith respect to FIGS. 9-12 are attached as Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.

FIG. 13 presents an illustrative flow chart diagram of the logic flow ofthe output module for the preferred embodiment and the preferred method.In step A of FIG. 13, the output module retrieves work to be performedfrom other parts of the system. For example, after a set of clientrecords has been processed with the processor module as described above,the output module would retrieve those files and store them in temporarymemory locations so that a client communication, for example, can beprepared for each client record. As part of step A, the output moduleretrieves instructions which would be used in preparing the clientcommunication or other communications output. The specific nature andcontent of these instructions will depend upon the specific type ofclient communication to be prepared and the specific format for theclient communication. The specific examples to be presented below alsoprovide a description and explanation of the types of the instructionsused by the output module in preparing communications.

In step B of FIG. 13, client files are grouped by user, or by the salesprogram to be used, or by other criteria specified by the system user.Grouping criteria preferably would be selected by the system user duringa setup phase, and would remain unchanged indefinitely until a differentset of grouping criteria is desired.

The processing of a set of client records to generate and output acorresponding set of client communications primarily takes place betweenstep C and F of FIG. 13. More specifically in step C the output modulereceives a client record for processing. In step D, the output moduleanalyzes and evaluates the client information from the client record,the corresponding output from the processor module for that clientrecord, and other data or information needed to construct thecommunication. Other forms of data or information which might beretrieved at this point could include geo-coding data, demographic data,and the like.

In step E, the output module uses the instructions for preparation ofthe communication, together with the data and information from step D,to prepare the client communication. The specific manner in which theinstructions and the information are used to construct the communicationwill vary depending upon the application, the specification of thesystem user and other factors. To better understand and appreciate thisaspect of the invention, however, we will refer to the clientcommunication attached hereto as Appendix 1, which is a samplecommunication presenting individual mortgage life insurance. Appendix 2provides another very similar example, to which the description ofAppendix 1 generally applies as well.

The sample format used for this client communication includes eightsections. Each section may or may not use information variables andinsertion logic to construct the text or presentation of the section,and decisional logic (decision information) is employed to determinewhat if any states the variable is to assume. In other words, theinstructions and/or decision logic may be employed in various placesthroughout a section and throughout the entire communication to adaptthe communication to the particular circumstances of the client. Thefollowing discussion will provide more concrete examples of thesefeatures.

The output module may include any one or any combination of at leastfour types of logic or variables, including (1) customer informationlogic, (2) words/paragraphs/sentence ("text") logic, (3)product/plan/amount of coverage/payment mode/underwriting logic, and (4)pricing logic. "Logic" or "variable" as referred to herein may involvethe placement of a particular word, number, phase, or item ofinformation in a particular place within the communication. Insertion ofsuch items within a blank space in a sentence would be an example.Client information logic refers to the place of the selective placementof client information in a particular location, blank space, or gap in acommunication. "Text logic" refers to the insertion of Words,Paragraphs, Sentence etc. other than client information, product typeand related information and pricing information, which is selectivelyplaced in a specific location, blank space or gap in the communication.Products/Plans/Amount of Coverage/Payment Mode/Underwriting Logic("product logic") refers to information pertaining to any of thesetopics, which is to be placed in particular location, blank space or gapin the communication. Pricing logic refers to pricing information whichpertains to the product which is to be positioned in a particularlocation, blank space or gap (variable) in the document.

The purpose and function of each of the illustrative sections as createdby the output module will now be outlined and discussed. It should beborne in mind that this sample client communication is merely anexample, and that virtually an infinite number of alternative formatsand designs is possible.

Section 1 describes the "need" for the proposed product and why theproposal or offer is being made to the client. In the individualmortgage life insurance application, the need is straightforward, i.e.,to provide funds to pay the mortgage or liquidate it upon the death ofthe mortgagee so the family may retain ownership of the home without theburden of a mortgage. In the individual life insurance application, theneed may be less apparent because there are so many individual uses ofthe product, a prime example of which is replacement of lost income.

In terms of variables, in this section, for example, the client name,address, the loan number and the loan amount constitute clientinformation logic gleamed from the client record. The entry at the topof the letter at "Co-Mortgager" as well as the name of the company ofthe third paragraph of the letter constitute text logic. The mortgageloan amount in the fourth paragraph of the communication againconstitutes client information logic.

Section 2 of the sample form client communication presents proposedsolutions to the need. This usually involves identifying and presentingalternative plan(s) or financial product(s) to meet the need, andfactors such as the provider, coverage and price particular to each planand product. Referring again to Appendix 1, most of section 2 comprisesproduct logic and pricing logic. The boxed portion in which the clientmay select the desired plan also includes product logic, for example, inthat not all product proposals will include the same plans as has beendemonstrated in the examples shown above. Much of the informationpresented in the footnote supplementing the product presentationinvolves text logic, but client information logic (e.g., personalinformation about the client), product logic, and pricing logic alsoappear in this footnote material. The footnotes both front and back arehighly individualized throughout.

In the case of individual life insurance, the proposed plans may includevarious plans which include term insurance products, and permanentinsurance plans such as whole life, universal life, variable life, andthe like.

Section 3 of the sample communication format of Appendix 1 explains thevarious products selected by the processor module for presentation tothe client in this presentation. This section may include text logic andproduct logic, for example, in that is may provide alternativedescriptions, explanations, even different tone of writing depending onsuch things as the age of the client.

Section 4 of the sample communication format of Appendix 1 explains eachplan utilized and selected by the processor module. This sectiontypically would include text logic and product logic in that thedescription would change for the various products and classes of thevarious plans and products. The description of plans will vary with theplan selected. In addition, for a given plan the explanation may changeto more particularly addressed a given client or class of clients. Forexample, the explanation provided to a client in the twenty (20) toforty (40) year old category may differ from the explanation from forthe same product provided to a client in the sixty-five (65) tosixty-nine (69) year old range. Similarly, the explanation for a singlemale may differ for a given product from the explanation provided forthe same products to a married couple.

Incidentally, the location of the various sections as described hereinwould not necessarily appear sequentially, e.g., section 1, 2, 3, . . .. The order may be changed or mixed, and information from one sectionmay be intermingled or interposed with information from another sectionor sections. Sections and what is contained therein also may be subjectto change frequently. The number of sections also may vary.

Section 5 of the sample communication format explains to the client ifthere are requirements to qualify for a particular plan presented, ifany. These requirements will be listed in this section 5 (if the planrequires such based on among other things, amount of insurance, age,etc.) if it is necessary to qualify with more than just the standardapplication presented to the client. Much of the logic here centersaround Plan/Product/Amount of Coverage/Underwriting Logic, etc., textlogic, and client information logic.

Section 6 of the sample communication format explains in clear, conciseand individualized terms how to obtain the coverage. This sectiontypically will include customer logic in personalizing the presentation,e.g., by inserting the clients name in various places in the text, andproduct logic in explaining the requirements specific to a particularproduct(s).

Section 7 of the sample communication format presents, in question andanswer format, for example, important information and commonly askedquestions regarding the plans and products shown in the presentation.This section typically would include text logic, e.g., to refer to thesystem user or product marketer. It also may include client informationlogic, e.g., to refer to specific circumstances which the customer mayencounter.

Section 8 of the sample communication format is variable in nature, andmay be customized for a given application, product set, system user,etc. It may, for example, provide information on how to obtainadditional information, help with application forms, additional pricequotes, etc. Given its customized format it may include any of the logicforms as variables, as may essentially any other section.

Through designation by the system user in interaction with the system,the output module creates the format to be used, the specificinformation to be included within the format, and the specific locationsin the output format where the specific items of information will beused. It also formats all sections to be easy to read and highlyorganized, no matter what amount of information is contained in theoutput.

The method according to the invention also may and preferably doesinclude a step of automatically combining the client communication withthe host vehicle to create a combined communication, wherein thecombined communication comprises a single document, again using the termdocument in its broad sense. Where a plurality of client communicationsare to be prepared, this step includes automatically combining theclient communication for each of the clients with the host vehicle forthe corresponding and respective one of the clients to create a combinedcommunication for the corresponding and respective one of the clients,wherein each of the combined communications comprises a single document.

In accordance with the preferred method, all client communications sentto the client could be accompanied by an application for the financialproduct, together with an envelope or other means to facilitate return.For example, the client communication would be accompanied by aapplication for the products presented therein with a return envelope.This also could include electronic communication forms, such as byreturn e-mail, etc. This effectively results in a one-step sales processfor any or all sales programs and products marketed by the system. Inmany instances, little or no human interaction or involvement isrequired in the marketing and purchasing process beyond the initiationof the system to provide the appropriate input information.

Turning now to the administrative and support system as illustrated inFIG. 2, the various modules of this system are intended to providesupport functions for the Core System modules. In addition, they includemanagement and administrative support modules to aid management in thesystem, including operation of the core system, scheduling offollow-ups, future communications, etc., with little or no need forhuman involvement.

The production and scheduling module automates scheduling of marketingsales, preparing budgets, and the like. A flow diagram outlining thelogical organization and flow of the production and scheduling moduleaccording to the preferred embodiment and method is shown in FIG. 14.

In step A of FIG. 14, the production and scheduling module accepts,stores and allows for future modification instructions for systemuser(s), and for all sales programs for which the system user willutilize the system. Future add-on sales programs can be easily accepted.

As shown in step B of FIG. 14, the production and scheduling moduleanalyzes and evaluates the jobs which are to be performed by the system.This is done on a daily basis. With this information as an input, theproduction and scheduling module schedules operation of the core systemand instructs the system to operate accordingly, as indicated in step C.In the course of this scheduling and the instruction, the production andscheduling module operates according to a set of predetermined criteriato determine the ordering and scheduling of the system operation and jobperformance.

As jobs are completed, the production and scheduling module causes thatfact and others to be recorded in each of the client records for whichprocessing has been successfully completed. This is indicated in step Eof FIG. 14.

As an administrative support role, the production and scheduling moduleis capable of generating hard copy, readable, production reports, e.g.,on at daily basis, as indicated in step F. of FIG. 14. Productionreports may be useful for system users and operators, for example, forallocating and providing sufficient supplies, paper, toner, etc. Thesystem also is capable of generating management reports which can aidmanagement in activity planning, resource allocation, budgeting, etc.

The production and scheduling module also is useful for automaticallyfollowing up on pre-defined activities. A key attribute of theproduction and scheduling module is it's ability to remember a virtuallyunlimited number of users and user sales program(s) and implement avirtually unlimited number of instructions for the system to begin workat any point in the future.

The sales & financial report and analysis module ("sales and reportmodule") assembles, calculates and outputs sales, test, financial andprojected earnings reports. This can be done on a real-time basis withthe preferred embodiment and method.

A flow chart which illustrates the organization and flow of the salesand financial report and analysis module for the preferred embodimentand method is shown in FIG. 15. This particular example pertains to themarketing and sale of life insurance products. As shown in thatillustrative diagram, step A involves receiving sales information basedon sales of financial products actually made. In step B, these salesresults are inputted into the system, manually, by scanning, or by othermethods described above which regard to the data input module. In step Cof FIG. 15, these results are stored and organized in a sales databaseresident in the database module.

The sales report module analyzes and evaluates this sales data, e.g., bysegregating and compiling it in formats and statistical summaries usefulin management. Once calculated, compiled, etc., the data may beincorporated into and reported as sales reports, as reflected in step Eof FIG. 15. These reports may be cumulative in nature or they may benon-cumulative, essentially reflecting snapshots in time. The reportsalso may be interactive or non-interactive, depending on the formatselected, the output mode, etc. The reports may be provided to systemusers, management, etc. These reports also may be used in digital orautomated form to interact automatically with other modules of thesystem, for example, the processor module.

The sales reports may compile such information as sales demographics,penetration, etc. They may reflect such statistics on several basics,such as sales submitted, the number of sales actually placed, aspolicies and the number of sales which resulted in falloff (for which nopolicy was issued or taken).

The sales module also is adapted to generate financial reports. Thesefinancial reports also may reflect sales on a submitted, placed, and orfalloff basis. They may be incorporated with other data to reflectactual and/or projected earnings reports, commission reports, and thelike.

The system also supports a telemarketing function using thetelemarketing module. An illustrative flow chart which outlines theorganization and flow of the telemarketing module according to thepreferred embodiment and method for the marketing of life insuranceproducts is shown in FIG. 16. In accordance with that flow chart, theoperator would log on to the system and thereby gain access to it.Communications between the operator and clients would take place, forexample, through inbound or outbound calls. For existing clients forwhom a client record exists in the client database, that record would beretrieved and edited appropriately. Where no client record exists, a newone would be created as reflected in FIG. 16. In both instances,information would be entered into the system so that the client recordreflects the appropriate client information. When this task is complete,the call is disconnected. At this stage, the operator may instruct thesystem, e.g., to schedule an input the client record for processing inthe core system to generate a client communication. To create a recordof the communication the operator would complete the compliance note padto reflect the conversation and the events which occurred during it.

The automated new business ("new business") module supports theprocessing for new business. The automated portion of this modulesupports the future policy holder service and insurance need of theclient automatically. Flow chart reflecting the organization and logicof this module is shown in FIG. 17.

Referring to FIG. 17, as sales are made the sales information isreceived by the system user. The sale results are inputted, for example,by scanning, or by other input means, e.g., as disclosed in thediscussion of the data input module. As new sales are made acorresponding client record is created in this module. The moduleautomatically creates a "thank you" notification, which isparticularized for that particular client. It confirms the products thathave been purchased and the corresponding coverage. Theautomatically-generated communications also lists any outstandingrequirements the client needs to execute to obtain product.

In addition to generating a confirming notice to the client, the systemalso manages the tasks, if any which correspond with sales and newbusiness. As reflected in FIG. 17, such followup tasks may includesending submission materials to the product provider, processing the newbusiness, e.g., from an accounting perspective, attending to functionrelating to issuance of an insurance policy, placement functions, etc.Client records and other system files are updated as appropriate toreflect the sales, the correspondence of the client, etc.

In performing these tasks, it may be necessary in some instances toundertake additional communications, which may implicate thecommunications and interface module. These communication may berequired, for example to order medical examinations, to order attendingphysicians statements, and to obtain all other information pertaining tothe client as required under the circumstances. This module willfollow-up on these requirements automatically with no humanintervention.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects isnot limited to the specific details, representative devices, andillustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures maybe made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for automatically preparing a clientcommunication pertaining to a financial product or insurance product fora client, wherein the client communication is for combined use with acorresponding and respective host vehicle, the methodcomprising:selecting information from a database comprising informationabout a plurality of clients; using decision information toautomatically select from the database variable information, thevariable information comprising other than client identification,automatically inserting the variable information into the clientcommunication, and combining the client communication with the hostvehicle into a single communication.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1,wherein the variable information comprises client information.
 3. Amethod as recited in claim 2, wherein the variable information comprisesclient information other than a client name.
 4. A method as recited inclaim 2, wherein the variable information comprises client informationother than a client address.
 5. A method as recited in claim 2, whereinthe variable client information comprises client family information. 6.A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the variable client informationcomprises client age information.
 7. A method as recited in claim 2,wherein the variable client information comprises client geographicinformation other than client address information.
 8. A method asrecited in claim 2, wherein the variable client information comprisesclient purchasing information.
 9. A method as recited in claim 2,wherein the variable client information comprises client assetinformation.
 10. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the variableclient information comprises client liability information.
 11. A methodas recited in claim 2, wherein the variable client information pertainsto a mortgage.
 12. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the variableclient information comprises client financial income information.
 13. Amethod as recited in claim 2, wherein the variable client informationcomprises client occupation information.
 14. A method as recited inclaim 2, wherein the variable client information comprises clientactivity information.
 15. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein thevariable client information comprises at least one of psychographic anddemographic client data.
 16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein thevariable information comprises other than a client name, address, age,marital status, tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount oflife insurance coverage.
 17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein thevariable information comprises financial product information.
 18. Amethod as recited in claim 17, wherein the variable financial productinformation pertains to a plurality of different financial products. 19.A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the variable financial productinformation pertains to a non-property and non-casualty insuranceproduct.
 20. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the variablefinancial product information pertains to an individual life insuranceproduct.
 21. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the variablefinancial product information pertains to an individual term lifeinsurance product.
 22. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein thevariable financial product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a term life insurance product.
 23. A methodas recited in claim 17, wherein the variable financial productinformation pertains to an individual term life insurance product and anindividual permanent life insurance product.
 24. A method as recited inclaim 17, wherein the variable financial product information pertains toa disability insurance product.
 25. A method as recited in claim 17,wherein the variable financial product information pertains to anannuity.
 26. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the variablefinancial product information pertains to a savings product.
 27. Amethod as recited in claim 17, wherein the variable financial productinformation pertains to an investment product.
 28. A method as recitedin claim 17, wherein the variable financial product information pertainsto a financial security.
 29. A method as recited in claim 17, whereinthe variable financial product information pertains to a loan product.30. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the variable financialproduct information pertains to at least one of an equity instrument, adebt instrument, a money market fund, and a mutual fund.
 31. A method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the variable information comprises financialproduct pricing information.
 32. A method as recited in claim 31,wherein the variable information further includes financial productnon-price information.
 33. A method recited in claim 1, wherein thevariable information comprises ancillary information.
 34. A method asrecited in claim 33, wherein the ancillary information comprisesstatistical demographic information.
 35. A method as recited in claim33, wherein the ancillary information comprises geo-code data.
 36. Amethod as recited in claim 33, wherein the ancillary informationcomprises psychographic data.
 37. A method as recited in claim 33,wherein the ancillary information comprises economic data pertaining tomore than one person.
 38. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein thevariable information comprises text.
 39. A method as recited in claim 1,further including a step of automatically combining the clientcommunication with the host vehicle to create a combined communications,wherein the combined communication comprises a single document.
 40. Amethod as recited in claim 39, wherein the variable informationcomprises other than a client name, address, age, medical status,tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount of life insurancecoverage.
 41. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein the variableproduct information comprises financial product information.
 42. Amethod as recited in claim 39, wherein the variable product informationpertains to an individual life insurance product other than a term lifeinsurance product.
 43. A method as recited in claim 39, wherein thevariable product information pertains to an individual life insuranceproduct other than a permanent life insurance product.
 44. The method asrecited in claim 39, further comprising sending the combinedcommunication to the client via the internet.
 45. The method as recitedin claim 44, wherein the variable information comprises other than aclient name, address, age, medical status, tobacco habits, type of lifeinsurance and amount of life insurance coverage.
 46. The method asrecited in claim 45, wherein the variable product information pertainsto an individual life insurance product other than a permanent lifeinsurance product.
 47. The method as recited in claim 44, wherein thevariable product information comprises financial product information.48. The method as recited in claim 44, wherein the variable productinformation pertains to an individual life insurance product other thana term life insurance product.
 49. The method as recited in claim 1,further comprising sending the client communication to the client viathe internet.
 50. The method as recited in claim 49, wherein thevariable information comprises other than a client name, address, age,medical status, tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount oflife insurance coverage.
 51. The method as recited in claim 50, whereinthe variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a permanent life insurance product.
 52. Themethod as recited in claim 49, wherein the variable product informationcomprises financial product information.
 53. The method as recited inclaim 49, wherein the variable product information pertains to anindividual life insurance product other than a term life insuranceproduct.
 54. The method as recited in claim 39, further comprisingsending the combined communication to the client by means other than theinternet.
 55. The method as recited in claim 54, wherein the variableinformation comprises other than a client name, address, age, medicalstatus, tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount of lifeinsurance coverage.
 56. The method as recited in claim 55, wherein thevariable product information pertains to an individual life insuranceproduct other than a permanent life insurance product.
 57. The method asrecited in claim 54, wherein the variable product information comprisesfinancial product information.
 58. The method as recited in claim 54,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a term life insurance product.
 59. Themethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending the clientcommunication to the client by means other than the internet.
 60. Themethod as recited in claim 59, wherein the variable informationcomprises other than a client name, address, age, medical status,tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount of life insurancecoverage.
 61. The method as recited in claim 60, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to an individual life insurance productother than a permanent life insurance product.
 62. The method as recitedin claim 59, wherein the variable product information comprisesfinancial product information.
 63. The method as recited in claim 59,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a term life insurance product.
 64. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the single communication is in a singledocument.
 65. A method for automatically preparing a plurality of clientcommunications pertaining to a financial or insurance product for acorresponding and respective plurality of clients, wherein the clientcommunications are for combined use with a corresponding and respectiveplurality of host vehicles, the method comprising:selecting informationfrom a database comprising information about a plurality of clients;using for each client decision information to automatically select fromthe database variable information, the variable information for each ofthe plurality of clients comprising other than a client identification,automatically inserting the variable information into each of the clientcommunications; and combining each client communication with itsrespective host vehicle.
 66. An apparatus for automatically preparing aclient communication pertaining to a financial product for a client,wherein the client communication is for combined use with acorresponding host vehicle, the apparatus comprising:means for inputtinginto a computer-accessible storage medium variable informationcomprising other than a client identification and decision information;processing means operatively coupled to the storage medium for using thedecision information to automatically select a subset of the variableinformation for the client; and output preparing means in operativecommunication with the processing means for preparing the clientcommunication, automatically inserting the subset of the variableinformation into the client communication, and for combining the clientcommunication with a host vehicle.
 67. An apparatus as recited in claim66, wherein the inputting means comprises a disk drive.
 68. An apparatusas recited in claim 66, wherein the inputting means comprises a tapedrive.
 69. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the inputtingmeans comprises an optical scanner.
 70. An apparatus as recited in claim66, wherein the inputting means comprises a bar code reader.
 71. Anapparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the inputting means comprisesa modem.
 72. An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the outputpreparing means comprises a laser printer.
 73. An apparatus as recitedin claim 66, wherein the output preparing means comprises a modem. 74.An apparatus as recited in claim 66, wherein the output preparing meanscomprises a computer.
 75. An apparatus for automatically preparing aplurality of client communications pertaining to a financial product fora corresponding and respective plurality of clients, wherein the clientcommunications are for combined use with a corresponding and respectiveplurality of host vehicles, the apparatus comprising:means for inputtinginto a computer-accessible storage medium variable informationcomprising other than a client identification and decision information;processing means operatively coupled to the storage medium for using thedecision information to automatically select a subset of the variableinformation for each of the clients; and output preparing means inoperative communication with the processing means for preparing theclient communications, for automatically inserting into the clientcommunication the subset of variable information for the correspondingand respective client, and for combining the client communication with ahost vehicle.
 76. A method for automatically preparing a clientcommunication pertaining to a financial product for a client, whereinthe client communication is for combined use with a corresponding hostvehicle, the method comprising:providing a format for the clientcommunication wherein the communication format includes a variableportion; inputting into a computer-accessible storage medium variableinformation about a plurality of clients other than clientidentification; inputting into the storage medium decision information;using the decision information to select a subset of the variableinformation for inclusion in a variable portion of the clientcommunication corresponding to the variable portion of the clientcommunication format, and combining the client communication with thehost vehicle.
 77. A method as recited in claim 76, further including astep of automatically combining the client communication with the hostvehicle to create a combined communication, wherein the combinedcommunication comprises a single document.
 78. A method of automaticallypreparing a plurality of client communications pertaining to a financialproduct for a corresponding and respective plurality of clients, whereineach of the client communications is for combined use with acorresponding and respective host vehicle, the methodcomprising:providing a format for the client communications wherein thecommunication format includes a variable portion; inputting into acomputer-accessible storage medium variable information about aplurality of clients other than a client identification; inputting intothe storage medium decision information; and using the decisioninformation to select a subset of the variable information for each ofthe clients for inclusion in a variable portion of the clientcommunication for that client, the variable portion of the clientcommunications corresponding to the variable portion of the clientcommunication format, and combining the client communication with thehost vehicle.
 79. A method as recited in claim 78, further including astep of automatically combining the client communication with the hostvehicle to create a combined communication, wherein the combinedcommunication comprises a single document.
 80. A computer-based methodfor automatically preparing a plurality of client communicationspertaining to a financial or insurance product for a corresponding andrespective plurality of clients, the method comprising:using decisioninformation comprising software to automatically select variableinformation about clients from a software database comprising variableinformation about a plurality of clients, the variable informationcomprising other than a client identification; automatically insertingthe variable information into each of a plurality of clientcommunications, each client communication customized for one of theclients based on the decision information; and combining each of thecustomized client communications with a host vehicle directed to aparticular one of the plurality of clients.
 81. The method as recited inclaim 80, wherein the variable information comprises other than a clientname, address, age, medical status, tobacco habits, type of lifeinsurance and amount of life insurance coverage.
 82. A method as recitedin claim 80, wherein the variable product information comprisesfinancial product information.
 83. A method as recited in claim 80,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a term life insurance product.
 84. A methodas recited in claim 80, wherein the variable product informationpertains to an individual life insurance product other than a permanentlife insurance product.
 85. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein thevariable information comprises financial product information.
 86. Amethod as recited in claim 85, wherein the financial product informationpertains to an annuity.
 87. A method as recited in claim 85, wherein thefinancial product information pertains to a savings product.
 88. Amethod as recited in claim 85, wherein the financial product informationpertains to an investment product.
 89. A method as recited in claim 85,wherein the financial product information pertains to a financialsecurity.
 90. A method as recited in claim 85, wherein the financialproduct information pertains to a loan product.
 91. A method as recitedin claim 85, wherein the financial product information pertains at leastone of an equity instrument, a debt instrument, a money market fund, anda mutual fund.
 92. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to a plurality of different financialproducts.
 93. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to a non-property and non-casualtyinsurance.
 94. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to an individual life insurance product.95. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein the variable productinformation pertains to an individual term life insurance product.
 96. Amethod as recited in claim 80, wherein the variable product informationpertains to an individual life insurance product other than a term lifeinsurance product.
 97. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein thevariable product information pertains to an individual permanent lifeinsurance product.
 98. A method as recited in claim 80, wherein thevariable product information pertains to a disability insurance product.99. The method of claim 80, further comprising sending thecommunication, created for each of the corresponding and respective oneof the plurality of clients, to the respective client via the internet.100. The method as recited in claim 99, wherein the variable informationcomprises other than a client name, address, age, medical status,tobacco habits, type of life insurance and amount of life insurancecoverage.
 101. A method as recited in claim 99, wherein the variableproduct information comprises financial security product information.102. A method as recited in claim 99, wherein the variable productinformation pertains to an individual life instance product other than aterm life insurance product.
 103. A method as recited in claim 99,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a permanent life insurance product.
 104. Amethod as recited in claim 99, wherein the variable informationcomprises financial product information.
 105. A method as recited inclaim 104, wherein the financial product information pertains to anannuity.
 106. A method as recited in claim 104, wherein the financialproduct information pertains to a savings product.
 107. A method asrecited in claim 104, wherein the financial product information pertainsto an investment product.
 108. A method as recited in claim 104, whereinthe financial product information pertains to a loan product.
 109. Amethod as recited in claim 104, wherein the financial productinformation pertains at least one of an equity instrument, a debtinstrument, a money market fund, and a mutual fund.
 110. A method asrecited in claim 99, wherein the variable product information pertainsto a plurality of different financial products.
 111. A method as recitedin claim 99, wherein the variable product information pertains to anon-property and non-casualty insurance.
 112. A method as recited inclaim 99, wherein the variable product information pertains to anindividual life insurance product.
 113. A method as recited in claim 99,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individual termlife insurance product.
 114. A method as recited in claim 99, whereinthe variable product information pertains to an individual lifeinsurance product other than a tern life insurance product.
 115. Amethod as recited in claim 99, wherein the variable product informationpertains to an individual permanent life insurance product.
 116. Amethod as recited in claim 99, wherein the variable product informationpertains to a disability insurance product.
 117. The method of claim 80,further comprising sending the communication, created for each of thecorresponding and the respective one of the plurality of the clients, tothe respective client by means other than the internet.
 118. The methodas recited in claim 117, wherein the variable information comprisesother than a client name, address, age, medical status, tobacco habits,type of life insurance and amount of life insurance coverage.
 119. Amethod as recited in claim 117, wherein the variable product informationcomprises financial security product information.
 120. A method asrecited in claim 117, wherein the variable product information pertainsto an individual life insurance product other than a term life insuranceproduct.
 121. A method as recited in claim 117, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to an individual life insurance productother than a permanent life insurance product.
 122. A method as recitedin claim 117, wherein the variable information comprises financialproduct information.
 123. A method as recited in claim 122, wherein thefinancial product information pertains to an annuity.
 124. A method asrecited in claim 122, wherein the financial product information pertainsto a savings product.
 125. A method as recited in claim 122, wherein thefinancial product information pertains to an investment product.
 126. Amethod as recited in claim 122, wherein the financial productinformation pertains to a loan product.
 127. A method as recited inclaim 122, wherein the financial product information pertains at leastone of an equity instrument, a debt instrument, a money market fund, anda mutual fund.
 128. A method as recited in claim 117, wherein thevariable product information pertains to a plurality of differentfinancial products.
 129. A method as recited in claim 117, wherein thevariable product information pertains to a non-property and non-casualtyinsurance.
 130. A method as recited in claim 117, wherein the variableproduct information pertains to an individual life insurance product.131. A method as recited in claim 117, wherein the variable productinformation pertains to an individual term life insurance product. 132.A method as recited in claim 117, wherein the variable productinformation pertains to an individual life insurance product other thana term life insurance product.
 133. A method as recited in claim 117,wherein the variable product information pertains to an individualpermanent life insurance product.
 134. A method as recited in claim 117,wherein the variable product information pertains to a disabilityinsurance product.